Discover 7 Lesser Known Tips to Optimize Your Vacation Time
The Gift of Being Present
On a recent trip to Homer, Alaska, I stood along the shoreline of the Cook Inlet, staring at the snow-capped mountains of Kachemak Bay State Park. I was lost in thought, trying to comprehend the size of the mountain range, some of them dormant volcanoes. I imagined them as sleeping giants, a thought which quickly dissipated when the cry of overpassing seagulls jolted me back to the present moment. The fishing charters were coming back into port, and the white-winged residents of Kachemak Bay were competing for ownership of the scraps. I can remember turning to my husband, Drew, marveling at how I had never been in a place quite like that one. It was odd to think about Homer, Alaska operating on its own long after we would leave it. At the same time that beachcombers searched for sea glass amongst the pebbles at Bishop’s Beach, local musicians would be serenading sleepy tourists along the white sand beaches of Negril, Jamaica. And where would I be when this was happening? And did it matter?
Now, this all may sound very obvious to the average reader. Of course, the world is abundant, packed with diversity, and kept running by an expansive network of individuals in which we all play a very small part. The beauty of travel is that it has a way of teaching us things when we least expect it. The act of seeing unique landscapes and practicing the traditions of different cultures has the potential to create new neural pathways in our brain, inviting those of us who are fortunate enough to travel to think in new ways. So while we all can recount the age old adage that the world does not revolve around us, it took me until this moment, 6 countries and 11 time zones later, to fully comprehend how small I am in relation to the never ending wonders of the world.
Of course, to learn these types of lessons, it is the responsibility of the traveler to be present in their journey. Let’s face it, most of us have limited time and spare cash to devote towards travel, and it can be a stressor to try to plan out an adventure in a new-to-us location. So when we find ourselves with the opportunity to flex our travel muscle, we want to make the most of it! Drew and I have spent the entirety of our first three years of marriage traveling at every chance we could get, an endeavor that led us to become full-time travelers as we drive across the country in our motorhome. I would like to think we know a thing or two about efficient travel and how to make the most out of our time away from home, and so we have taken the time to compile the tips we find to be most useful when planning a travel adventure.
Most of these tips come as the byproduct of past mistakes on the road, mistakes we hope to help others avoid. If you’re planning your next adventure, and are looking for ideas on how to help maximize your travel time while limiting unnecessary stress, then look no further.
Please enjoy these seven lesser known tips to optimize your vacation time.
1. Map it out
Let’s start with a tip which may seem obvious, but one I see often ignored by my fellow travelers. Geography matters! I have run into a lot of travelers over the years who opted to save money on their hotel by staying out of the central city which they were visiting, only to then pay for a taxi everyday in order to arrive at the sites they wanted to visit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for saving a pretty penny, but when that penny saved means you sacrifice precious sight seeing time by being restricted to the inside of a taxi cab, I firmly believe that it’s not worth it. Money can be saved by flying economy, taking red-eye flights, or eating at less expensive dining options, but when it comes to where you should be staying, opt for a moderate accommodation in the center of all the action. You can thank me later.
It should also be said that “the center of the action” is relative. When I am planning a vacation, I research the area heavily, writing a list of all of the activities I would be interested in exploring. The next step is to pull out a map, or virtual equivalent, and to visualize where each attraction is physically located. I cannot stress enough how important this step is, and how frequently it is skipped over. This will help you see which attractions are located close together, which ones may require an accommodation change if they are too far away, and which ones may need an entire day devoted to them because they require a subway, train and then a bus to get to (I’m looking at you Fondation Monet). Information on how long it takes to get from point A to point B, and the best mode of transportation for the trip can easily be found on travel forums, which conveniently segways us into our second travel tip for this evening.
Enjoying a day at Fondation Monet, even though it required three modes of transportation to get there from Paris.
2. Utilize travel forums
My husband often jokes that traveling with me is like having VIP status wherever we go. While I would love to take all the credit for how smoothly many of our travel days have gone, the truth is that most of the recognition must be paid to my dear friends at TripAdvisor. Without them, I would have never known that you can completely skip the line to get into the Eiffel Tower by simply checking in ahead of time and selecting a pre appointed time to enter the tower. I kid you not, Drew and I walked past a line which was easily half a mile long, into a separate queue where we waited less than 10 minutes before we were allowed entry. How have secrets like this stayed secret for so long? The truth is, that they’re not a secret at all. You just have to know where to look for them and who to ask.
Travel forums are filled with people who have traveled to your dream vacation spot before. Their heads are filled with the knowledge that you crave, and many of them are more than willing to answer your questions or even look over your itinerary for you. Utilize them! Just make sure you look through the back catalog of frequently asked questions for your destination first, as reposting the same question asked 100 times before does have the tendency to make people testy. Gaining insight from individuals on travel forums has personally saved me countless hours from waiting in line just by telling me the least crowded times to stop by the world’s most famous attractions - The only person that has arguably saved me more time is mentioned in tip number three.
Drew, enjoying the artwork in the Louvre with practically no crowds. (Wednesdays are the least busy days to visit.)
3. Find a reliable travel agent
Who's ready for a horror story? If being trapped in a foreign country without a ticket home sounds like your worst nightmare, then you may want to skip this one. Two years ago, Drew and I explored Europe for your first year wedding anniversary, hopping between several cities and countries. On our last night in Barcelona, we went to check into our flights when we realized that Drew’s tickets were missing and that the confirmation number that was supposed to reference both of our tickets for several legs of our journey only included mine. Oh, and the flight which we were supposed to be on for the next day was completely booked. Panic ensued.
The whole thing was a mistake by the airlines when they accidentally entered the incorrect month on a ticket change that we had processed long beforehand. It’s something that would have required waiting on hold for the entire last night of our stay in Spain, and something that our travel agent willingly took care of for us, no questions asked. In fact, because we have the best travel agent in the world (shout out to Ali Munn from Munn Vacations), she got the airlines to upgrade us to first class for the trouble, an experience that opened our eyes to how the other half lives and ruined us for all the economy flights we have taken since then. We swore that we would never travel, especially internationally, without a travel agent again, and I am now bestowing that wisdom onto you.
I used to think that using a travel agent meant paying additional fees, when in fact, many travel agents operate at no cost to the traveler. Most travel agents make their money off of commissions given to them by the airlines, accommodations, and excursion companies that they connect their clients to. They are experts in travel, many of them specializing in different styles of travel or parts of the world, and it is their job to make sure that their clients have a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. When we were planning our European tour, I was overwhelmed by the number of airlines I hadn’t heard of before, time zone changes to take into account, and the plethora of hotels which had desk clerks who weren’t able to answer my questions because I didn’t speak their language. Ali took care of all these details for us, gave us confidence that we were getting the best deals possible, and stitched together each leg of our journey so that each transition felt as seamless as possible. Oh yeah, and did I mention that she waited on hold for SIX HOURS as Delta and Air France argued back and forth about whose fault it was that Drew’s ticket was lost? I believe her words were, “You go out and have a wonderful meal. Sleep well, and when you wake up, I will have it all sorted out for you.” Do yourself a favor folks. Book with a travel agent. It always helps to have an extra someone in your corner.
Travel Agent Extraordinaire, Ali Munn, also took us to Jamaica for our honeymoon, and Barbados for my 26th birthday (shown above).
4. Schedule “freestyle” days
Some people may disagree with me here, but no matter how much stuff I want to do at a particular location, I always leave at least one day at each destination where I have absolutely nothing planned. These days often end up being my favorite days, like the one where I got to organically stumble upon a cheese museum in the Netherlands. And yes, it was just as quirky and delicious as it sounds. Every time I am traveling, I stumble upon a list of activities that I didn’t even know about until I had arrived, and would have missed out on if I hadn’t deliberately reserved free time in my schedule.
During our most recent unscheduled day in Anchorage, Alaska, Drew and I got to ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, a 12-mile long, world famous bike trail that treats its visitors to iconic views of the Denali National Park, the Knik Arm waterways, and abundant wildlife within the surrounding, densely packed forests. In all my research of the area, I hadn’t even heard about the trail prior to arrival, and it was an experience we would have missed out on if we had overbooked ourselves. I have yet to be in the situation where I have nothing to do during my freestyle travel days, and so I strongly recommend that you build at least one of these days into your next travel adventure. If you’re someone who just can’t stand the thought of not having everything planned out, then I would suggest compiling a list of backup idea plans, plans that could be easily abandoned if another wonderful opportunity presents itself.
Drew and I, enjoying the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, on our “freestyle” day in Anchorage.
5. Talk to the locals
There is nothing wrong with doing touristy things. After all, if you didn’t take a picture with the “I amsterdam” sign, did you even go to Amsterdam? However, Drew and I have discovered some of our favorite restaurants and activities by asking the locals. After all, every Philadelphia resident will tell you that the Philly cheesesteak rivalry of Pat’s and Geno’s is nothing more than an advertisement gimmick. (In fact, if you’re in the market for a recommendation from a self-proclaimed cheesesteak connoisseur from the Philadelphia suburbs, the best cheesesteak you can get is at Jim’s South Street, but I digress.)
When we were in Barcelona, we asked our taxi driver to provide us with a restaurant recommendation, and he pointed us to La Flouta, an authentic tapas restaurant which we still consider one of our favorite restaurants in the world. It was a short walk from our hotel, something we never would have stumbled upon by ourselves, and it was head over heels better than the meals we had near La Rambla. All this to say, the people who live in the area that you are visiting know it better than anybody, and most of them love talking about the hidden gems that make their city special.
While we are on the topic of hidden gem restaurants - be open minded to local delicacies. You can learn a lot about the culture of a place by learning about the history of their most common dishes. What better way to learn history than to get your taste buds involved? Be open minded. A dish which may seem strange to you is only the case because you didn’t grow up eating it. What would happen if you put your predetermined opinions aside and tried something new? You might surprise yourself.
Thorn’s Showcase Lounge was a recommendation in Seward, Alaska by our ziplining guide. It delivered on an excellent serving of lightly fried halibut, better known as its “bucket of butt”.
6. Don’t check a bag
At the risk of sounding like Jack Byrnes, I must insist that you always carry-on your luggage. It’s hard to describe, and probably would be unnecessarily passive aggressive if I tried, how much I hate having to check a bag for a flight. Drew and I have easily carried on our luggage for both a 13 night trip in Europe, and a 14 night trip to Alaska, all while having everything we needed for the trip. Doing so has saved us time, money, stress and unnecessary hassle during arrival and departure of the airport.
In fact, I recently traveled with my mom and stepdad, who *cough* despite my advice *cough*, each chose to check a bag during our trip. When we arrived at our first destination, the belt to the luggage return became jammed, forcing us to wait an extra hour and a half at the airport when we could have been out settling into our rented RV. On the way home from our trip, we arrived at the airport several hours early only to find out that our flight was the first American Airlines flight scheduled to leave for the day and that the check-in desk would not be open until an hour prior to boarding. Without any bags to check, Drew and I were able to bypass the check-in desk and got settled with some drinks and food for two full hours before they were able to catch up with us. By the end of the experience, they too vowed to never check a bag again.
Here’s the thing. Travel, in its essence, can be a bit uncomfortable. You’re in a new area; you might not speak the language; you’re never quite sure what to expect. Embrace it. It is all part of the travel experience. You don’t need options for what to wear to dinner every single night; you have the options in front of you when you are packing your suitcase, so pack strategically. The freedom of getting off of an airplane and walking past the gaggle of people waiting to retrieve their suitcase is (and I’m not exaggerating) liberating. Not to mention, being able to have one firm grip on both your carry-on bag, and your personal item means extra security in parts of the world where theft tends to be more of a concern. As tourists, we tend to make ourselves easy targets. Why make that target even bigger by clumsily walking around with too many bags to carry, dropping items along the ground as you hobble to the taxi lane?
In case you weren’t aware, let me have the pleasure of telling you that your personal item doesn’t have to be a small purse for your flight. Look up the dimensions allowed for personal items on your chosen airline. Many times, a small duffel bag is under these size restrictions and it easily stows away under your seat during a flight. How much free storage space have you been missing out on over the years? Let’s also not forget that people from all over the world have dirty laundry, so you will most likely have access to a laundromat. I get it, no one wants to think about laundry during their vacation, but the hassle-free travel experience you gain by traveling this way will more than make up for it. If you want to have a more posh experience during your travel instead, pickup laundry services are typically offered at most hotels for an extra fee.
Riding through Amsterdam on our last leg of our European tour. We took four plane rides and were so glad we didn’t waste our time with checking a bag.
7. Invest in some travel gear
I typically don't advise the purchase of specialty travel items, mostly because a large majority of them often end up being overpriced versions of everyday items anyway. However, there are just a few travel-specific accessories that I would recommend to everyone.
Firstly, the importance of a comfortable set of walking shoes cannot be overstated. Unless you’re interested in shelling out a lot of money on transportation, odds are you will be walking around A LOT as you explore your travel destination. Nothing can ruin a travel day more than blistered or aching feet, and it can even make it impossible to finish all the things on your itinerary. Buy yourself a comfortable pair of both closed toed and open toed shoes, preferably ones that go with pretty much everything. I personally use a pair of all black Adidas sneakers and my trusty Birkenstocks which go practically everywhere with me. If you need that extra bag just to fit all the shoes you have to bring with you then you need more versatile footwear.
I would also recommend that you invest in a bag of your choice with some built in theft-proof features. Drew and I each have a bag from Pacsafe, which is a brand that I can vouch for due to its high quality and ease of use. These bags have anti-slash straps, RFID protective lining, and smart zipper security to prevent any uninvited hands from opening your bag and rifling through its contents without your permission. Some of the most beautiful places on earth are also known to be some of the most heavily pick-pocketed places on earth. As I mentioned in tip #6, tourists are often victims of petty theft. Theft of any kind can quickly turn your dream vacation into a nightmare, and anxiety-fueled purse clutching is not the ideal solution. Give yourself peace of mind by knowing that you’ve taken the appropriate cautions, and protect yourself with some secure travel accessories. This way you can experience your travel the way it is meant to be enjoyed, arms and mind open wide.
Me, at Park Guell in Barcelona, sporting a travel safe, crossbody, Pacsafe purse.
Thank you for joining us at Discovery Detour, where the destination is always unknown.
